CHAPTER FOUR: We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Anamaria had just come up on the deck again, only to find the crew in an uproar, everyone running from one side of the ship to another. As an elder man passed her, she grabbed his arm and halted his motions long enough to ask him what all the commotion was about.

"Two men overboard, is all I heard," Gibbs answered, before prying himself out of her grip and continuing on with whatever he was doing.

With a small frown, she walked over to the front of the ship and peered out onto the waters. Indeed, two heads broke the surface, disturbing the water's perfect picture. She immediately turned on her heel and started below deck again. "Jack!" She shouted upon approaching his cabin. "Jack!"

"Bloody ´ell," the woman heard him mutter as she entered. "How many times ´ave I told ye to call me capt´n?" Just ignoring the remark like usual, she told him:

"We got two men overboard, sir."

This seemed to peak his interest and made him look up from the desk he was busying himself at. "Crew?"

"Nay. Yet there's not a ship in sight, and it don't look like no wreck either."

"Bring ´em aboard."

"Aye, sir."

In her overwhelming relief, Chloe failed to notice the ship's strange exterior, too busy thinking of all the delicious ways she could use this as an excuse to skip school for a week. Not to mention the headlines! Not only did she have proof of Luthorcorp´s shady business, but also WAS proof of it. Oh no, wait, she didn't have her proof anymore. ´This is the twenty-first century, for god's sake! Why the hell aren't those digital camera's waterproof? Ah well, the lab will probably still be there. It's not like they can get all the stuff out of the facility in one night, can they? And if they think they got rid of me, its unlikely for them to feel threatened. They'll just leave everything where it is. Right at the address I'll give to the authorities...´

Her inner ramblings were enough to have her forget all about the billionaire paddling a few feet away from her, whose mind was also working overtime. He couldn't for the life of him think of one company that still manufactured real ships like these. It didn't look like some commercial stunt, since it wasn't surrounded by tons of media boats. And it seemed unlikely to him that they were shooting some kind of film there. Besides, the ship struck him as old, antique even, with the torn black sails. Scary.

As it finally came within reach, he grabbed one of the ropes that were thrown over the railing, gripping it tightly as he started climbing.

The moment he set foot on the deck, he wanted to jump back in the water again. Men of all sizes and shapes were staring at him with undivided interest, eying him warily. The first thing he noticed was that they looked even more horrible than Lex himself when waking up after a night of clubbing with his Met U friends. These people were covered in dirt and grime and smelled like something that had been lying in the fridge for waaaaay too long. The swords and various other weapons didn't fail to catch his attention, either. Oh, he'd really hit the jackpot this time!

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

His head whipped around just in time to see Chloe climbing onto the ship with super speed. Unfortunately, her foot caught the railing, and she was sent straight towards the deck, bashing into it with a loud thud. "Ouch!"

Brow's furrowing in concern, Lex quickly bent down beside her to help her get up, but she just swatted his hands away. "I can get to my feet all by myself, thank you very much," she bit at him while picking herself off the floor. The ship's rocking almost sent her down again, but she managed to steady herself by grabbing the railing. "Damn waves," she muttered, then her eyes grew wide as she remembered the reason for her shrieking again. "Shark! There was a shark! I saw it! It was coming at me like Lana on an all-pink sale in Bloomingdales!"

Lex, resisting the urge to chuckle, just told her: "Don't be foolish. We don't have sharks in Kansas."

"Well, we don't have fucking oceans either, but where the fuck did I nearly drown in just 5 seconds ago, Mr Smart-ass? I can tell you that I saw something down there, and it sure as hell ain´t fucking Flipper!!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat beside them caught their attention and both turned to see a peculiar looking man standing there, mouth twisted in an amused grin.

As the first had finally been hauled aboard, Jack regarded the man with curiosity. His first impression of him was 'smooth'. Smooth (albeit strange) clothes, smooth chin, smooth scalp. The last one was the most noticeable, since almost every man he'd encountered either wore long, white wigs, or didn't even bother to cut their hair.

It seemed funny to him how the sun reflected off the shiny head, but his shameless remark was cut off as a shriek pierced the salty air, followed by another figure emerging from over the side. This one, however, didn't waste any time getting intimate with the deck. His head seemed to bounce off the rough wood and a loud groan drifted to his ears.

´Screams like a girl,´ entered his mind, making him chuckle silently as he watched the bald man try and help his friend, only to be dismissed.

The new person's voice seemed rather high-pitched, but he figured he was just a young lad, until...

His mouth almost dropped to the floor in surprise, blown away as the lad stood up, revealing himself to be a girl. A girl dressed in men's clothing. His eyes slowly drifted down her body, resting on her jeans. ´Tight men's clothing,´ he corrected himself, a dreamy expression creeping onto his face.

The loud Shark!´ brought him back to the present and his gaze flew to the girl's face. The pretty picture it made, blonde locks reaching just above her shoulders, framing her delicate looking features, took him aback once again. She wasn't like any lady he'd ever seen before. Or heard, for that matter, as he noted the heavy sarcasm in her snappy remarks. ´Kansas?´

Deciding that it was about time to make his presence known, he loudly cleared his throat, effectively drawing their attention. The annoyed look on the girl's face only made his predatory grin widen.

"Allow me to introduce meself. The name's Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl," he told them, motioned towards the ship in general with barely suppressed pride. "And since we've jus´ saved ye from there shark-filled waters," stretching the word shark with a pointed look at the hairless man, "I think it's only fair we know who the two of ye are."

TBC